Charlie the yellow Lab, rescued after four days in the woods, to have his leg amputated

Charlie the yellow Lab was lost from his Fairview Township home for four days and four nights before he was found Jan. 6.

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Charlie, the 1-year-old yellow Lab, rescued last week after being lost for four days in the woods in Fairview Township, will have his leg amputated Friday night, his owner said.

"I knew he was in pain," Myra Martin said about Charlie. Martin co-owns Charlie with her roommate, Barry Beinhower. She said she decided to take Charlie to the vet Friday morning, and after a series of tests, the decision to amputate was made.

Charlie, a 1-year-old yellow Lab, went missing from his Fairview Township property on Jan. 2, and ...more

Charlie, a 1-year-old yellow Lab, went missing from his Fairview Township property on Jan. 2, and spent four days stuck in the woods in frigid temperatures, before he was rescued by a woman and her dog who went searching for him. Charlie has been reunited with his family, but he faces some challenges from medical complications caused by being stuck out in the elements.

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Charlie was found Jan. 6, after being lost in the woods, in frigid temperatures and harsh winter weather, for four days. Teams of people had been looking for Charlie since he first ran off from the property where Martin and Beinhower live.

On Jan. 6, Tiffany Young, who lives in Lancaster County but often visits family near Mechanicsburg, decided to take her dog, Cooper, out to look for Charlie.

Young had been following along with Charlie's story on Facebook. His story gained a lot of attention from people around the United States and beyond after Martin posted on her page asking for help when Charlie ran off. Martin recently had knee replacement surgery, so she couldn't go out and look for him herself.

As snow fell in the woods around her last Saturday, Young and Cooper found Charlie with his lead tethering him to a tree.

It wasn't until the next day, even after the vet had looked him over the first time, that there was concern Charlie could lose his leg. Initially, different therapy options were ordered to see if they could save Charlie's leg.

But Thursday night, Martin could tell Charlie was hurting. "He was panting and he was in pain," she said.

For the first time, his paw had gotten stiff in addition to being cold to the touch.

Charlie, a yellow Lab, was found after four days in the woods in Fairview Township.

Charlie, a yellow Lab, was found after four days in the woods in Fairview Township.

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At the vet Friday morning, after a series of tests that showed Charlie didn't have feeling in his paw, and it appeared he'd developed an infection, the vet recommended the leg be amputated.

Charlie was scheduled for surgery at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Martin said she appreciates all the support from everyone who has reached out since the beginning.

"I just pray for a healthy, speedy recovery," she said. "I want him (to be) himself again."

She said the donations that people have made to help pay for Charlie's medical costs have been awesome. She knows that Charlie will need more care down the road after surgery, and every donation will help him on that journey.

When Martin posted an update to the donations page that was started for Charlie Friday, she expressed her gratitude.

"I know he will pull through this because if he pulled through what he went through last week, he can do anything!" she wrote. "Please pray for us at this time and if you are able to donate any amount of money I would really appreciate it."

Help with ongoing medical costs

The website set up to collect donations to help with the medical costs for Charlie can be found at https://www.youcaring.com/myramartin-1062135.

The first $2,000 raised paid for Cooper and Charlie's first vet visits after Charlie was rescued. But with Charlie's need for ongoing care, the fundraising goal is $5,000.